Iraqi Coordination Framework calls on peaceful protests
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The Coordination Framework called on Iraqis to demonstrate peacefully tomorrow "to defend their state."
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Protesters gather a bridge leading to the Green Zone area in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 30, 2022 (AP)
Today, Sunday, the Iraqi Coordination Framework called on the Iraqi people to demonstrate peacefully tomorrow "to defend their state."
The Coordination Framework, which is currently the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament after Sadrist deputies resigned, said that the call for demonstrations "comes after recent developments that threaten to plan a suspicious coup and hijack the state."
The bloc submitted its resignation on June 12, in a move that Muqtada Al-Sadr considered "a sacrifice for the sake of the country and the people to rid them of an unknown fate."
Yesterday, Iraq's Coordination Framework announced that the demonstrations have been postponed "until further notice" to give way for dialogue and political solutions "to ensure unity."
The Preparatory Committee for the "Defense of Constitutional Legitimacy" demonstrations in Iraq confirmed the postponement of the demonstrations, noting that "the decision to postpone came based on the statements of the leaders of the Coordination Framework and the intervention of clan elders and clerics" in order to "give time for dialogue and positive political solutions to ensure unity and avoid sedition."
In parallel, the leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, Muqtada Al-Sadr, called today, Sunday, on Iraqis to support the demonstrators currently camping in the Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad.
Earlier today, the European Union expressed concerns regarding the protests in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.
"The EU is concerned about the ongoing protests and their potential escalation in Baghdad. We call on all parties to exercise restraint to prevent further violence," the EEAS said in a statement.
The EU's foreign affairs agency also urged all political forces in Iraq to resort to "constructive political dialogue" to de-escalate tensions.
"We invite political forces to solve issues through a constructive political dialogue within the constitutional framework. While the right to peaceful protest is essential to democracy, laws, and state institutions have to be respected," the EEAS added.
On Saturday, supporters of the Iraqi Sadrist Movement once again stormed the Iraqi parliament in the Green Zone, Baghdad, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported, noting that the Sadrist Movement itself was organizing the entry of protestors into the Green Zone.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, called on the protesters to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone, adhere to peace, and preserve public and private property.
The Iraqi health ministry reported the injury of 125 people in the unrest, including 100 civilians and 25 security officers.
